Despite widespread fears of a loss of high-tech jobs to the new economies of India and China, statistics indicate that the need for employees with these skills has risen substantially in the United States just as it has in Asia. The number of U.S. jobs in the Information Technology sector is greater today than it was at the height of the dot-com boom in 2000. Moreover, current projections show more domestic growth in this sector than almost any other field.
In this talk, Computer Science Professor Eric Roberts will discuss the findings of the ACM Job Migration Task Force, which recently completed a comprehensive study of these issues. In addition to highlighting the conclusions of the report -- which paints a bright picture for the future of this area throughout the world -- Professor Roberts will explore how a failure to understand central economic principles leads to a perpetuation of the doom-and-gloom scenarios.
About the Speaker:
While at Stanford, Professor Roberts has received several university-level teaching awards, including the Bing Fellowship, established "to recognize excellence in teaching and a committed interest to the teaching of undergraduates," and the Dinkelspiel Award, which recognizes "distinctive and exceptional contributions to undergraduate education." In January 2002, Roberts was named one of the first eight University Fellows in Undergraduate Education, which are designed "to reward faculty who make truly outstanding contributions to Stanford's undergraduate experience."
Professor Roberts has been active in professional organizations dedicated to computer science education. He is a member of the Education Board of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) and was for many years on the board of the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE). From 1998 to 2001, Roberts served as co-chair and principal editor for the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Task Force on Computing Curricula 2001, which published a detailed set of curriculum guidelines in December 2001. Earlier this year, Roberts received the 2003 SIGCSE Award for Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education at the annual SIGCSE symposium, where he also delivered the opening keynote address on "Expanding the Audience for Computer Science."